Monday, 10 August 2015

The British Policeman /1950s British Public Information Films : The British Policeman - 1959 - ...

The Metropolitan
Police officers were unarmed to clearly distinguish them from
military enforcers, which had been the system of policing seen before
the 1820s. Their uniform was also styled in blue, rather than the
military red. Despite the service being unarmed, the then Home
Secretary, Robert Peel, gave authorisation to the Commissioner to
purchase fifty flintlock pistols, for exceptional incidents that
required the use of firearms. As time progressed, the obsolete
flintlocks were decommissioned from service, being superseded by
early revolvers. At the time, burglary (or "house breaking"
as it was then called) was a common problem for police, as house
breakers were usually armed. Due to the deaths of officers at the
hands of armed criminals in the outer districts of the Metropolis,
and after much press coverage debating whether Peel's service should
be fully armed, the Commissioner applied to the Home Secretary to
supply all officers on the outer districts with revolvers. These
could only be issued if, in the opinion of the senior officer, the
officer could be trusted to use it safely, and with discretion. From
that point, officers who felt the need to be armed, could be so. The
practice lasted until 1936, although the vast majority of the system
was phased out by the end of the 19th century.

From 1829, to 1839,
Metropolitan Police officers wore blue swallow tail coats with high
collars to counter garroting. This was worn with white trousers in
summer, and a cane-reinforced top hat, which could be used as a step
to climb or see over walls. The sleeves of the dark blue coats
originally had a pattern of white bars, roughly 6 mm wide by 50 mm
high, set roughly 6 mm apart. This immediately distinguished them
from naval or maritime personnel. In the early years of the
Metropolitan Police, equipment was little more than a rattle to call
for assistance, and a wooden truncheon. As the years progressed, the
rattle was replaced with the whistle, swords were removed from
service, and flintlock pistols were removed in favour of revolvers.

In 1863, the
Metropolitan Police replaced the tailcoat with a tunic, still
high-collared, and the top hat with the custodian helmet, which is
based on the Pickelhaube. With a few exceptions (including the City
of London Police, West Mercia Police, Hampshire Constabulary and
States of Guernsey Police Service), most forces helmet plates carry a
Brunswick star. The helmet itself was of cork faced with fabric. The
design varied slightly between forces. Some used the style by the
Metropolitan Police, topped with a boss, while others had a helmet
that incorporated a ridge or crest terminating above the badge, or a
short spike, sometimes topped with a ball.

The tunic went
through many lengths and styles, with the Metropolitan Police
adopting the open-neck style in 1948 (although senior and female
officers adopted it before that time). Senior officers used to wear
peaked pillbox-style caps until the adoption of the wider peaked cap
worn today. The custodian helmet was phased out in Scotland in the
early 1950s.

Female officers'
uniforms have gone through a great variety of styles, as they have
tended to reflect the women's fashions of the time. Tunic style,
skirt length and headgear have varied by period and force. By the
late 1980s, the female working uniform was virtually identical to
male, except for headgear and sometimes neckwear.

Formal uniform
comprises an open-necked tunic (with or without an attached belt,
depending on the force and rank of the Officer) and trousers or
skirt, worn with a white or light blue shirt and black tie (usually
clip-on, so it cannot be used to strangle the wearer). Although most
forces once wore blue shirts, these have been less used since the
1980s, and most now wear white. Officers of the rank of Inspector and
above have always worn white shirts, and in many forces so have
female officers. In some forces, female officers wear a black and
white checked cravat instead of a tie. Officers of the rank of
Sergeant and above wear rank badges on the epaulettes of their
shirts, while Constables and Sergeants also wear "collar
numbers" on them. Shoulder numbers in the Metropolitan Police
are displayed on the shoulder of the tunic (despite the lack of
epaulettes on the tunic in junior ranks) as are all rank insignia
(except for that of Sergeant, which are displayed in the form of a
sewn-on badge on the sleeve). No.1 dress is worn with black, polished
shoes or boots. Male Constables and Sergeants in English and Welsh
forces wear the Custodian Helmet with this dress, whereas the peaked
cap is worn by Inspectors and above. In Scotland, all male officers
now wear a peaked cap. Female officers of all forces now wear bowler
hats. At more formal occasions, such as funerals and parades, white
gloves are worn.

Until 1994 the No.1
Dress was also the everyday working uniform, but today it is rarely
seen except on formal occasions. The normal working dress retains the
shirt and trousers. In some forces short sleeved shirts may be worn
open-necked. Long sleeved shirts must always be worn with a tie or
cravat, worn with or without a jersey or fleece. If a jersey, fleece
or jacket is worn over a short sleeved shirt, then a tie must be
worn. In 2003, Strathclyde Police replaced the white shirts with
black wicking T-shirts with stab vest on top, for the majority of
officers on duty. Some forces use combat trousers (trousers are of a
cargo pocket style i.e. two thigh pockets and two conventional side
and rear pockets) and boots. Today, female officers almost never wear
a skirt in working dress, and sometimes wear trousers in formal dress
as well. Officers also frequently wear reflective waterproof jackets,
which have replaced the old greatcoats and cloaks traditionally worn
in inclement weather. Most officers now wear stab vests, a type of
body armour, when on duty.

Basic headgear is a
peaked cap for men, and a round bowler style hat for women. All
officers wear a black and white (red and white for the City of London
Police) diced band (called Sillitoe Tartan) around the hat, a
distinction first used in Scotland and later adopted by all forces in
Great Britain. Traffic officers wear white cap covers. On foot duty,
male constables and sergeants outside Scotland wear the familiar
conical custodian helmet. There are several patterns, with different
forces wearing different types. Although some Scottish forces have
used helmets in the past, they are no longer worn in Scotland. The
only English police force to have abandoned the custodian helmet is
the Thames Valley Police.

The Metropolitan
Police approved the use of name badges in October 2003, and new
recruits started wearing the Velcro badges in September 2004. The
badges consist of the wearer's rank, followed by their surname.
Senior officers wear these in No.1 Dress, due to the public nature of
their role.

Increasingly
officers are wearing 'Tactical' uniform to perform everyday roles as
the increased level of equipment carried on the police duty belts and
operational requirements expand.

Officers of the
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) wear a uniform which is
somewhat different, reflecting the different roots of the force and
nature of the role that it carried out for much of its history. The
main colour to be found is a dark and light green with the uniform
looking very unlike police uniforms over in Great Britain. The RUC
officially described this as 'rifle green', that is to say the same
colour as used by Irish and rifle regiments of the British Army, such
as the Rifles (formerly the Light Infantry and the Royal Green
Jackets) and Royal Irish Regiment. This reflects the force's de facto
status as more of a paramilitary force, or gendarmerie, than police
forces in Great Britain. When the six new versions of the PSNI
uniform were introduced, in March 2002, the term 'bottle green' was
used for basically the same colour. This was perhaps seen as being a
less confrontational description and having less of a military
connotation, in keeping with the spirit of the time. RIC uniforms
were originally a very dark green almost black colour. The custodian
helmet was never worn by either the RUC or the PSNI, although a
similar design known as the "night helmet" was worn on
night shifts by the RUC until the early 1970s, and previously by the
RIC.

The mounted police
of the Greater Manchester Police and of the Merseyside Police wear a
ceremonial uniform which includes a distinctive cavalry-style helmet,
similar to those worn by the Household Cavalry. Mounted police in
Cleveland wear a similar uniform, but with a red rather than a white
plume.

Police Officers may
wear mess dress to formal dinners if appropriate but is most usually
worn by officers who have achieved the rank of Superintendent or
above. The mess dress of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
is dark blue with light blue facings on the lapels and includes a
two-inch oak leaf lace strip on his trousers and a set of
aiguillettes.

The Commissioners
and other senior-ranked officers of the Metropolitan Police Service
and the City of London Police wear a full dress ceremonial uniform on
State and special occasions (see External links below); this includes
a high-necked tunic with silver or gold trimmings and is worn with a
sword and a plumed hat.